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Friday, 17 July 2015

Emmy's 2015: Picks for winners and the Omissions

Yesterday afternoon the US announced this year's Emmy Nominations. I've looked at the categories, and in some of them I've looked at who I think could win/should win and any omissions I've spotted.Drama, Actor: Kyle Chandler, Bloodline; Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom; Jon Hamm, Mad Men; Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul; Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan; Kevin Spacey, House of Cards. I;d love to see Bob Odenkirk win this for Better Call Saul as his performance as Saul is near perfection, but I'm aware now that Mad Men has ended the Emmy's might want to recognize Jon Hamm as he's been ignored in the past.

Omissions: I'm amazed Matthew Rhys was snubbed for The Americans. He plays almost four characters in the spy drama and he plays it with an underline intensity that draws the viewers to him. It amazes me he was snubbed. Another glaring omission from this category is Dominic West from Showtime's The Affair. The series as a whole was unfairly snubbed/ignore/dismissed annoyingly.

Omissions: Again, two big omissions are Keri Russell in The Americans and Ruth Wilson from The Affair? I appreciate Homeland re-booted in its most recent season, but I don't think she has matched the performance she delivered in the first two seasons when Homeland was utterly gripping and unmissable. Wilson as grief stricken waitress Alison in the Affair was absolutely superb. She seemed to be able to effortlessly shift between the two personas that the scripts demanded of her. In one half of each episode she was this seductive, sultry character who turned Noah's world upside down, whilst in the other half, she was dressed down, in minimal makeup as a mother desperately trying to move on with her life following the tragic death of her young son. The clever scripting and pacing meant you were never quite sure which version of Alison was the real one but it didn't really matter because Ruth Wilson made you believe every second of it. Her absence in this category is utterly baffling. The other interesting exclusion was Julianna Margulies from The Good Wife. Its sixth season was just as well received as previous seasons and Margulies has always been recognized before.

Drama series: Better Call Saul; Downton Abbey; Game of Thrones; Homeland; House of Cards; Mad Men; Orange is the New Black.
It won't but, I'd love this to go to Better Call Saul. Mad Men may walk home with this.

Supporting actress in a drama series: Joanne Froggatt, Downton Abbey; Lena Headley, Game of Thrones; Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones; Christine Baranski, The Good Wife; Christina Hendricks, Mad Men; Uzo Aduba, Orange is the New Black.

Lead actor in a miniseries or movie: Adrien Brody, Houdini; Ricky Gervais, Derek; Timothy Hutton, American Crime; Richard Jenkins, Olive Kitteridge; David Oyelowo, Nightingale; Mark Rylance, Wolf Hall, I find the inclusion of Ricky Gervais to be head scratching. I'm amazed the US appears to have taken to Derek. On the other hand the inclusion of Mark Rylance for Wolf Hall is another reason why we should be proud of what the BBC are producing at the moment.

I'm not a fan but I think Jeffrey Tambor may as well call the other nominees and tell them not to bother getting their suits dry cleaned. The appeal of Transparent is utterly lost on me, but it's a show that has been continually showered in praise and Amazon has commissioned a third season before the second is available to stream.

Omissions: The biggest omission I can spot here is Nick Offerman from Parks and Recreation. It is rare for an American series, particularly in a sitcom for the quality to remain when a show reaches its conclusion. The final season of Parks and Rec was one of the best final seasons of a comedy I've seen and there was a particular episode where Nick Offerman's Ron Swanson was really given the opportunity to shine. It's disappointing he was ignored.

Comedy, actress: Eddie Falco, Nurse Jackie; Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback; Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep; Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation; Amy Schumer, Inside Amy Schumer; Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie. Easily the toughest category of the lot. Amy Schumer is getting a lot of attention at the moment so I could see her winning, but I would really pleased if Amy Poehler is recognized for her final season of Parks and Rec. Veep is another show that's had a consistently good third and fourth season so I'd also be pleased to see Julia Louis-Dreyfus win again for Veep. Edie Falco now ties with Angela Landsbury for most nominations. I'm late to the party for Nurse Jackie currently midway through the second season, but it'd be nice to see Edie win as the series has now come to an end after a seven year run.

Omissions: It's a shame Ellie Kemper wasn't recognized for Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt as her central performance is the key to that show's warmth and success.

Guest actress in a drama series: Margo Martindale, The Americans; Diana Rigg, Game of Thrones; Rachel Brosnahan, House of Cards; Cicely Tyson, How to Get Away With Murder; Allison Janney, Masters of Sex; Khandi Alexander, Scandal
This is the first and only time The Americans gets a mention on the list. Whilst I rate Margo Martindale she seems an odd choice as she barely featured in the most recent third season.

Guest actor in a comedy series: Mel Brooks, The Comedians; Paul Giamatti, Inside Amy Schumer; Bill Hader, Saturday Night Live; Louis CK, Saturday Night Live; Bradley Whitford, Transparent; Jon Hamm, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
It would be comical Jon Hamm won his Emmy this year for his appearance on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. His performance was the most memorable of this list.